Our Focus

Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse of people with developmental or
intellectual disabilities

Our Mission

To disseminate information on how to reduce the risk of abuse, to promote healing for
victims, and to seek justice for those who have been victimized

Action Areas

Public awareness, education and training, policy development, law
enforcement, and professional consulting

Sponsoring Agency

The Disability and Abuse Project is a function of
Spectrum Institute, a
nonprofit educational corporation. The Project works with nonprofit
organizations, media, government agencies, and individual advocates.

Project Director

Nora J. Baladerian, Ph.D. Dr. Baladerian is a
clinical psychologist with a private practice focusing on trauma and abuse.
She conducts seminars and trainings
for first responders, agency personnel, and service providers. Dr. Baladerian is
often consulted by attorneys engaged in litigation, both civil and criminal,
for forensic evaluations and strategic advice in cases involving
disability and abuse. (more)

2012National Survey on Abuse
of People with DisabilitiesThe First Report: Victims and
Their Families Speak Out
(Click Here)

A "Rule Out Abuse" Campaign for Physicians

The Disability and Abuse Project is launching a "Rule
Out Abuse" campaign for medical doctors. The campaign has
been endorsed
by Vincent J. Felitti, M.D., the co-principal investigator of the ACE
Study -- a study conducted by Kaiser Permanente into the later-in-life
consequences of adverse childhood events.

Dr. Nora Baladerian is
spearheading the campaign after years of noticing that, when presented
with patients with disabilities who have traditional symptoms associated
with abuse, doctors generally do not consider such a diagnosis as a
possibility to rule out. To learn more about the
rationale
behind this campaign, click here. For Part 1 of the literature (an overview),
click here. For Part 2 of the literature (detailed information),
click here